Motelier seeks new term

Press, 17 January 1986, Page 1

Motelier seeks new term

A Queenstown motelier wants the name motel abandoned because in Japan the term has come to mean “house of ill repute." In his annual report as president of the Motel Association, Mr Allan Brown recommends that all moteliers adopt the names “motor inn or lodges” to avoid the stigma. He said that to the Japanese, the title motel clearly meant brothel. This reputation had arisen because of the proliferation of low class motels in Singapore, the United States and Australia.

While five or six years ago Japanese tourists travelled almost exclusively in tour parties and stayed at hotels, many more Japanese were now travelling individually in hired vehicles and looking for motor inn accommodation.

“It, is important for our industry that we create the right, impression,” Mr Brown said. Quite clearly a name change was justified. Mr Brown said many executive members of the association favoured the name change but some moteliers were resisting.. A survey of motels in Dunedin revealed divided opinion on the issue. Some had already adopted the motor lodge classification, while others see no reason to change.

The president of the Dunedin branch of the association, Mr Murray Smith, said he saw no reason to change. “A large number of our customers come from countries apart from Japan, so I see no reason to make any change,” he said.